The invention relates to a closure element for an aperture which can be moved from a closing or closed position into an open position of the aperture.
Such a closure element is known per se in a horizontally movable rolling door. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,092,534.
In DE-A-3 244 743, a rolling wall for refrigerating and insulating containers is also known. The rolling wall consists of a heat insulating material and is provided with heat insulated compound profiles made of light metal. The compound profiles are equipped at their adjacent longitudinal edges with respectively undercut grooves. For the connection of facing slats, a connecting strap produced from rubber or from a correspondingly elastic material is provided which interlockingly engages the undercut grooves of the compound profiles.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,033,284 to utilize hinge straps for an angling connection of the slats in a rolling door.
A further known example of such a closure element for an aperture is a rolling armor of a rolling door functioning as a vertically opening closure of a walk-through or drive-through door aperture, consisting of slats which can be angled relative to one another and which are guided into the closing position on the two side edges of the door aperture by means of vertical guide rails, said rolling armor being moved up into the open position and wound by means of a winding shaft to which the rolling armor is fastened.
The rolling armor, functioning as the part of a rolling closure which closes off and protects the door aperture, consists of slats, typically profiled parts, for example extruded aluminum materials, connected to one another in an articulated manner. The height of the individual slats is, usually approximately 80 to 120 mm.
These profiled parts are usually provided as push-in profiles which, by virtue of their shape, are connected to one another in an articulated manner, without further connection members, to form the rolling armor. In a typical aluminum extruded profile, the joint is designed, for example, as a cup and web, so that, with the profiles pushed into one another, the joint thus formed can absorb and withstand the forces which occur when the rolling armor is being wound up. Typically, the connection of the slats which is shaped to form a joint has a large play. Moreover, the shape, with the profiles pushed into one another, should be designed so that dirt and water are prevented from settling in the joints and sufficient sealing against wind is guaranteed.
Furthermore, closure elements for an aperture are known in so-called sectional doors which are likewise used for large door apertures. The conventional sectional door consists essentially of an armor having comparatively high sections which can be folded out of a vertical closing position into an upper horizontal position underneath the ceiling by means of a cable drive.
The comparatively large height of the individual sections which is used in sectional doors ensures, as a result of the reduced number of connecting elements for the sections, such as hinges or the like, and also a reduction in the number of end faces to be sealed off, a mechanically altogether more compact design, with correspondingly better strength against attack by wind and safety against unauthorized opening. Moreover, the large height of the individual sections makes it possible to provide transparent portions in the form of glass or plastic windows.
As a rule, in the closing position, the individual sections lie in alignment on one another, so that the entire end face of the particular section is available for the sealing. The sectional door thus appears as a fully closed door having a continuous outer surface, without intermediate gaps. Further improved sealing is brought about, for example, by rubber inserts which, in the closing position, are compressed by the sections lying above one another. Alternatively, the sections have a bulge which extends on one end face over the entire door width and which, when the sections are being pivoted into the same plane, engage into a corresponding depression of an adjacent section in the manner of a tongue-and-groove joint, thereby further improving the mechanical strength of the door leaf against wind pressure, even where large door widths are concerned.
On the inside of the door, the sections are connected by means of a plurality of individual hinges which are attached over the entire width of the door at particular intervals in such a number that sufficiently high strength and support is achieved. The hinges attached to the lateral edge of the sections are, as a rule, designed the same as a holder for a roller which can run in a guide rail of U-shape cross-section on the edge region of the sectional door. Since the individual hinges are attached to the sections in such a way that the sections can be folded away towards the inside, problems also arise here inasmuch as the parts of the hinges which are attached to the inside of the door and which project are visually displeasing and may cause injury. A further danger of injury in sectional doors is caused during the angling of the sections, by the open gaps occurring thereby, or during the folding back of the sections and the closing of the gaps.